6th Annual
Toys for Pamlico Kids

November 16th - December 11th

Toys for Pamlico Kids holiday drive distributes toys to deserving boys and girls in Pamlico County. Unwrapped educational games as well as toys that reflect the diversity of our community for newborn children to 18 years of age can be dropped off at the following locations:

Department of Social Services - Alliance

Arapahoe Charter School - Arapahoe

Sea Gull and Seafarer - Arapahoe

Heartworks - Bayboro

Pamlico County Public Library - Bayboro

Tideland EMC - Grantsboro

The Piggly Wiggly - Grantsboro

First South Bank - Grantsboro

The Pamlico News - Oriental

Inland Waterway Provision Company - Oriental

Mesic Town Hall (Tues/Thurs - 4-5:30 pm • Nov. 2nd and Dec. 1st - 6:30-8 pm) - Mesic

To make a Monetary Donation, please mail your Non tax-deductible donation to thePamlico County Chamber of Commerce, Attn: Toys for Pamlico Kids, P.O. Box 92, Grantsboro, NC 28529. Your monetary donations will be translated directly into toy purchases.

To Sign Up a Child in Need, please contact Joyce Swimm at the Pamlico County Chamber of Commerce at 745-3008 or Debbie Green, Pamlico County DSS* at 745-4086. *Please note that you do not need to be a part of the DSS system to qualify.

Toys for Pamlico Kids is sponsored by the Pamlico County Chamber of Commerce.

Last week I was invited to share a meal with a young family of four. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner with salad, vegetables and the best pork chops I have tasted in many years.

The husband had recently found work again after being a victim of "downsizing" and was out of work for over a year. The wife has been working reduced hours, nearly half what she used to work. It goes without saying that their funds are in short supply, and they are doing the best they can.

I found out later that they have been purchasing much of their food from an organization called Angel Food Ministries. I had not heard of it before, so I looked it up on the internet. This group sells boxes of food in various assortments, priced to compare favorably over purchasing at grocery stores. The Signature Box is sized to feed a family of four for one week. It contains an average of $60 in food and is priced at $30. See the December Menu.

Current economic conditions have made things difficult for people of all income levels and Angel Food packages are available to everyone, without discrimination. You can find out more about Angel Food Ministries, and perhaps place an order here. Their distribution sites are spread out all over the United States.

If you should know of a family who would benefit from this program, I hope you will share the information with them.

Marvin, a fellow agent, and I both live and work primarily in the Oriental NC area, but frequently assist clients in other areas also. Since our company office is located in New Bern, we have an interest in keeping informed about the history surrounding that area. Tours are not all the same and we learn about different things with each tour taken. Most of these tours are walking or riding in a bus or trolley. Recently, we took the New Bern Colonial Capitol tour, which uses the Segway People Movers for transportation.

The Segway is one of the neatest machines I have ever seen. After a brief instruction session, we were outfitted with helmets and a receiver to better hear about the various buildings and sites, then we were on our way. Never having been aboard a Segway before was no problem, they are very easy to use. You must be careful not to rub up against a curb or another rider's wheel, and be attentive when riding on a slanted surface.

I won't go into the history that we learned, but can tell you that we learned quite a lot and had a great time. If you happen to find yourself in New Bern with a couple free hours on your hands, this tour is highly recommended. Contact Neal Davis at: http://www.tarheeladventures.com/. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

Joe Brant

I am asked this question a lot by those who may be considering placing their home up for sale. The picture is not as pretty as we might like, but perhaps it will help you understand what is, and has been happening. The graph shown is for homes only, lots and commercial properties are not included. This graph shows the number of homes sold in Pamlico County each quarter since January 1, 2008.

As you can see, during the past year there have been a total of 67 homes sold in all of Pamlico County, or an average of about 5.58 homes sold per month. Currently there are 213 homes actively listed for sale in the area.

When there is a 6 month supply of homes, it is considered to be a normal, balanced market. Less than a 6 month supply is a Sellers' market, and more than a 6 month supply is a Buyers' market.

Using the figures above, you will see that Pamlico County has more than a 38 month supply of homes on the market at the present time. This puts us very deeply into a buyers' market, meaning that there are more homes available than there are buyers to absorb the excess in a timely manner.

Having such a large supply of homes is an indication that prices for many of the homes are too high. If you are thinking of purchasing a home in the area, be sure to select an agent who will prepare a current Comparative Market Analysis for you on any home you select.

Yes, homes are being sold and buyers are naturally picking the best values for their dollars. This means that any home being placed on the market should be immaculately clean, in good repair, and priced about 5% below its current market value. Otherwise, that home could be on the market for a very long time.

If you should have any questions, please feel free to contact me by e-mail at: Joe@JoeBrant.com.

Joe Brant, ABR, GRI, e-PRO
Keller Williams Realty
www.JoeBrant.com
(252) 675-3038

Let's address the two main questions first. Whenever and wherever I go in my little "jeep", everybody seems to love it, and very few have ever seen one before. So, I frequently get stopped by people (including police officers), who ask me the same two questions:

1. What is it? and...
   
2. Where can I get one?

What it is... is an Austin Mini Moke, the most unusual variant of the old "classic" Mini from the 60's. It is about 4 1/2 feet wide and 10 feet long, has a 4 cylinder 1 liter engine, 4 speed transmission, gets 42 MPG and the book says top speed is 81 MPH.

The Moke was designed in the late 50's, to be a replacement utility vehicle for the British Army. The British Army chose not to purchase Mini Mokes, and a very limited number were produced between 1963 and 1993. They were never "cheap", and still aren't.

Where can you get one? You might find one on eBay, or I can connect you with sources.

Anyway I got my little Mini Moke out of it's garage just before Independence Day, and found that it needed new rear wheel bearings. My parts supplier had them in my hands two days later.

With the new bearings installed, a short test ride followed. Within three miles, I discovered that it was also time to install a new exhaust system. In the photo above, the old exhaust system has been removed and the new one should be installed before the weekend.

If you see me out cruising around Oriental, give me a shout.

Joe

www.JoeBrant.com